Divorce documents from Ilhan Omar’s split with Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi have shed new light on the former couple’s custody arrangements and financial settlement, as renewed scrutiny surrounds the congresswoman’s earlier marriage.
The Minnesota representative and Mr Hirsi’s divorce was finalised on 5 November 2019, according to the judgment. The couple agreed to share legal and physical custody of their three children, who were minors at the time.
The children were to live primarily with Ms Omar in Washington DC, while Mr Hirsi was granted substantial parenting time in Minnesota. Ms Omar agreed to pay the children’s travel costs between the two states.
Neither party was ordered to pay child or spousal support. Ms Omar agreed instead to meet the children’s medical and school expenses.
The judgment also recorded an agreement to divide the couple’s assets without financial discovery. Both parties waived any future claims against one another and signed off on the divorce.
Ms Omar and Mr Hirsi first began their relationship in 2002 and had two children before separating in 2008. She married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009, although she has said they separated in 2011.
Ms Omar later reunited with Mr Hirsi and the pair had a third child in 2012, while she was still legally married to Mr Elmi. Her divorce from Mr Elmi was finalised in December 2017, and she married Mr Hirsi the following month before their relationship ended again less than two years later.
That earlier marriage has faced renewed attention amid allegations that Mr Elmi is Ms Omar’s brother and that the marriage was arranged for immigration purposes. Ms Omar has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and the claim that the two are siblings remains unproven.
